ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville volleyball dropped its first match in the Justice Center this season on Friday evening, falling to Big South Conference foe Liberty in three sets as the Flames took the match 25-23, 25-19, 25-17.

The Bulldogs were 8-0 on the season at home, having won 12 straight at Justice dating back to last season.

Senior libero Rachel Wells led all players with 41 digs, finishing one dig shy of tying her career high. Wells is currently leading the Big South in digs and is ranked second nationally in that category.

“We didn’t play well tonight,” said Asheville head coach Frederico Santos. “We weren’t able to take them out of their game plan, and that took us out of our game. Rachel Wells was amazing tonight, but there were other areas that we didn’t do so well in.”

Liberty improves to 9-17 overall with an 8-5 record in league play. The Flames also take one step closer to clinching the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Big South Conference Championship, beginning on Nov. 21st in Clinton, S.C.

Asheville drops to 17-12 overall and 7-6 in the Big South, and will need a victory over Radford tomorrow at the Justice Center to try and secure the No. 4 seed in the Big South Championship. The match is set to begin at 2 p.m., as the Bulldogs will honor their senior prior to the match.

“Hopefully we can regroup and get ready for Radford tomorrow,” added Santos.